Cervical lymph node metastasis

jalls2007
jalls2007 Member Posts: 4
edited June 2015 in Caring for Someone with Breast cancer

Hi. My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in April 2015. She was put on Arimedex immediately. She cannot tolerate chemotherapy due to chronic low platelet count. She had a left mastectomy at the beginning of May. Her path report came back that her margins were positive and all 15 lymph nodes removed were positive. She was supposed to start radiation this Monday, but her radiation oncologist did a CT scan to use a guidance to mark her and it showed suspicious cervical lymph nodes. They biopsied the nodes on Monday. Today, she was told they are positive. Plan as of right is radiation for 6 weeks starting on Monday. Has anyone else had metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes?

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  • kebab
    kebab Member Posts: 873
    edited June 2015

    That's how mine started. I went to my oncologist because I could feel lumps above my collarbone. They were biopsied but inconclusive so he decided we'd "watch and wait". He poked at them every 6 weeks for almost 6 months, until my annual, scheduled breast MRI happened to show mets on my sternum and spine. :-/

    I've had no radiation or other treatment specifically for my node mets, other than the systemic treatments (anti-hormonals and chemo) that we've used for the rest. I hope that the radiation does good work for your mother.

    Did you have particular questions, or just want to feel like somebody else is on the path with you? Either way, I'm here. :)

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  • jalls2007
    jalls2007 Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2015

    Thanks so much for your reply. I really just wanted to hear from someone else their story since it seems to be so uncommon. Thanks again, and I hope you are doing well!

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  • Sarahlou50
    Sarahlou50 Member Posts: 33
    edited June 2015

    My cancer had progressed to the supraclavicular nodes, which I think is the same thing as you query, but have never thought of it as uncommon. I always thought it was a fairly common way for the cancer to progress. Perhaps I was wrong.

    Perhaps the lack of response is because your initial question is in a Stage IV forum?

    Sarah

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  • jalls2007
    jalls2007 Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2015

    The radiation oncologist who saw my mom to give her biopsy results (her doctor was on vacation) is very experienced and well-respected in our community and told her that he has never treated a breast cancer patient with mets to the cervical lymph nodes. Supraclavicular mets is more common with breast cancer. He said she is now Stage IV. That is why I posted in the Stage IV forum.  I just wanted to see if anyone else has had an experience with mets to the cervical lymph nodes and also if anyone out there is also not a candidate for chemotherapy.  My mom started radiation yesterday, and the plan for her is to do 6 weeks of radiation therapy and stay on Arimedex.

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